BEER BATTER TEMPURA

This is not the place to engage in controversies about the evils of alcohol. All forms of alcohol - like simple sugars - are exceedingly yin and are therefore unbalanced and dangerous. Accordingly, alcohol is usually listed as a no-no in macrobiotics. This is certainly so in therapeutic macrobiotics, which is to say macrobiotics for sick people. Robust, healthy people, on the other hand, may indulge in moderation - after all, George Ohsawa enjoyed his whiskey - and if so grain-based fermented drinks are the beverages of choice. All things in moderation.

In any case, this post is not about drinking alcohol, merely about using some beer (naturally brewed if possible) as a rising agent in tempura batter. Beer batter is an Australian favourite. It is a standard in popular cuisine, usually reserved for fish (and chips). Why not use it more diversely in the deep-fried tempura treats that often find a place in macrobiotic cuisine? I experiment with many forms of tempura batter. Some people will add self-raising flour and/or bicarbonate soda to help a batter fluff and crisp up. Beer (naturally brewed if possible) is a better choice. Bicarb soda is horribly yin too, but it is also a quite unnatural chemical. Beer yields a similar effect and is merely a fermented grain sugar - preferable on every count.

The standard recipe I use for beer batter tempura is:

2 tablespoons of plain flour

Half a cup of wholemeal flour

Add beer (naturally brewed if possible) until a batter consistency

A pinch of sea salt

The pictures above show the crisping effect, in this case on tempura zucchini (a glut of zucchinis in the garden at this time of year, i.e. lateish summer) and cauliflower. 

Yin? For sure. So, balance it with other (yang) things. The effect is crisp and rich, a summer treat. After cooking, of course, the taste of beer is largely gone and the alcohol has evaporated. Puritans will still avoid it perhaps, but it makes a truly delicious variation for tempura batter. Don't be tempted by self-raising flour or bicarb soda. Be tempted by beer batter instead. Tempura all your favourite vegetables (and/or seafood) this way.